Uniform cap



H. LEV

UNIFORM CAP Jan. 2, 1951.

Filed Aug. 20, 1949 INVENTOR. flaw Lew Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to uniform caps and in particular to the distending band or grommet which fits within the cap cover, and to certain means depending from the grommet for protecting the wearers head from injury in case of a blow.

One object of my invention is to provide a grommet which is light in weight.

Another object is to provide a grommet which may be easily installed or removed without disturbing the cap cover and which accordingly facilitates the changing of covers.

Another object is to provide a cushion or protector to protect the cap wearers head against injury from accidental contact with the anchoring means for the insignia device at the front of the cover.

Another object is to provide a grommet which by reason of its special properties of flexibility and resiliency will allow the edge of the cap cover to give inwardly or upwardly or downwardly in response to pressure from the wind or otherwise. Present day uniform caps are apt to blow off of the wearers head due to the outer edge of the cap cover being held extended rigidly outwardly, thereby transforming pressure of the Wind on the cap side to a lifting force tending to raise the cap.

Another object is to provide a grommet which makes a uniform cap easier to stow or pack in a duflle bag or suit case, which eliminates the possibility of damage to the grommet from faulty packing or rough handling, and which, when worn, offers no interference to the use of head phones in the most advantageous position upon the head.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein a suggestive embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed, but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of-the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing- Figure l is a side elevation of a typical uniform cap with which the improved grommet of this invention may be. used to advantage;

Fig. 2 is aperspective view looking down upon the grommet and the head protector depending therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section, enlarged, through the front end portion of the cap 2 with the grommet and head protector in assembled relation therewith; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional perspective view looking toward the back side of the head protector.

The present cap C may be conventional in that 'it comprises an endless frame 5 macle desirably of fibre, plastic or the like, and supporting at its front a visor 6 and also an upstanding stay I. Removably fitted around the cap frame is a band 8 forming part of a flexible cover of fabric or the like having the usual outwardly flaring tip 9. The present invention is concerned primarily with the grommet G which extends circularly within the cover tip for distension purposes,and with the head protector which dependsfrom the grommet.

The grommet of my invention is in the form of a roll which may be produced from an elongated piece of cellular rubber, natural or synthetic, and round or otherwise in cross section. The ends of such a roll are joined, as by cement, to a depending protector 10, also made of cellular rubber, which is shown as molded integrally with, or cemented to, the ends of the grommet G (see Figs. 2 and 4) This protector may also be tapered in width and thickness downwardly toward its free end (see Figs. 24)., When assembled with the cap, the grommet is disposed within the tip 9 of the cover C, and serves to resiliently hold the cover in its proper outwardly extended position.

The lower end portion of the protector I0 lies sandwiched between the upstanding stay I and the sweat band IS, with its lower tip end I6 resting on a cushion I! that is fixedly secured between the sweat band and the cap frame 5. The upper portion of the protector inclines outwardly in substantial parallelism with the upstanding stay I, and is disposed rearwardlyi of the bolt and nut anchoring means I 8 for the cap insignia I 9. This protector which may serve to hold up the grommet at the front provides av cushion-like guard to protect the head of the cap wearer from injury which experience has T'shown often results when the front part of the;,... capi is forced rearwardly, as when the wearer accidentally bumps his head on a hard object. This commonly happens to persons working in-g andaround air and naval craft because of theprevalence of small doors and scant head room.

A grommet and associated :head protector, when produced from cellularrubber or like material, has advantageous characteristics unlike anything heretofore known. This is due largely to the special properties of cellular rubber and to its circular cross-sectional form in the completed grommet. Whereas solid rubber is not compressible, but only displaceable, cellular rubber on the other hand is truly compressible because of its cellular porous nature, and so is endowed with a light uniform resilience which adapts it specially for use in a cap cover when formed into a grommet therefor. Such a grommet flexes readily in all directionstoward and away from its center and also upwardly and downwardly at any and every point throughout the roll. These deflections may proceed at any angle or inclination in response to variations in the pressures. The density or strength of the cellular walls of the structure of the grommet may he so light that the roll is relatively limp and incapable of sustaining itself. When fitted into the tip of a cap cover, however, the grommet roll is both confined in place and supported externally by the surrounding flexible tip. After theroll is made to proper length it is subjected to a very slight compression force, endwise of the grommet, when fitted intoithe tip of its intended cap cover, and in consequence is maintainedoutwardly to pro duce distension of the cover. If the cover tip be pressed in, up, or down, at on or more points, it will yield readily and then return to its initial librmal position upon cessation of such pressure. ,Such a yielding capacity permits the cover tip to shift up, or down, or inwardly, in'respo'nse to any pressure that is encountered-that of a strong wind, for example, which is thereupon spilled so as toflose its effectiveness in blowing the cap off of the' wearers head. In like manner, the cover tipwillreadily yield in response to the pressure of earphones when connected by a band passing over. thecap from side to side. Aluniformresistance to yielding is attained by forming the roll with a round cross section, as shown. If, however, it is desired to provide for unequaliesistance to flexation in two different directions, then the roll cross section should be modified, as to one which is elliptical, for exam-'- .ple, Thejdegre'e of limpness f the roll is also subject to control, ,as' by varying the density and/orthickn'ess of the walls of its cellular structure'. In any of these various forms or degrees of limpness, the grommet is characterized by outstanding lightness, flexibility and adaptability as a means for maintaining the cover tip of a uniform cap yieldably distended.

I claim: 7

1. For use with a uniform cap having a frame and a cover formed with a band surrounding the frame and thereabove a flexible crown'cor'npris ing circularly extending sides and a tip joined thereto, both of greater diameter than the band, the improvement which consists of an endless, flexible, limp, ring-like grommet of compressible, resilient, dense, cellular material incapable of "sustaining itself, receivable within the crown adjacent the tip and, when so positioned, being subjected to an endwise compression suflicient to produce a reactive distension of the crown, the crown, when so distended, providing a confining supportfor the grommetand preventing buckling thereof while permitting controlled deflection of the grommet inwardly toward the cap center or vertically, either up or down, in response to pressure delivered exteriorly to the crown.

2. For use with a uniform cap having a frame and a cover formed with a band surrounding the frame and thereabove a flexible crown comprising circularly extending sides and a tip joined thereto, both of greater diameter than the band, the improvement which consists of an endless, flexible, limp, ring-like grommet of compressible, resilient, dense cellular rubber material incapable of sustaining itself and of substantially uniform circular cross-section throughout, receivable within the crown adjacent the tip and, when so positioned, being subjected to an endwise compression suflicient to produce a reactive distension of the crown, the crown, when sodistended, providing a confining su port for the grommet and preventing buckling thereof while permitting controlled deflection of the grommet inwardly toward the cap center or vertically, either up or down, in response to lpressur -deliv ered exteriorly to the crown.

3. For use with a uniform cap having a frame and a cover formed with a band surrounding the rame and thereabove a flexible crown comprising circularly extending sides and a tipjoined thereto, both of greater diameter than the, band, the band and cap each having a front portion, a

" sweat band inwardly of the frame and the first mentioned band, a cushion fixed between the sweat band and th frame at the front of the cap and providing a space between the sweat band and frame, an endless, flexible, limp, ring-like grommet of compressible, resilient, dense, cellu-' lar material incapable of sustaining itself, the grommet having a protector of resilient material attached to and depending therefrom, the gromtoward the cap center or vertically, either up or down, in response to pressure delivered exteriorly to the crown, and the protector, including the portion thereof in the space, with the cushion serving to absorb shocks delivered to the front portion of the band and the front portion of the cap. I

HARRY LEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,393,270 Schlesinger Jan. 22, 1946 2,455,686

Lev Dec. 7, 19518 

